Open Box Education Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Pupils thrive at this nurturing and caring school. Most arrive at school having previously had very negative experiences of education. Staff quickly get to know pupils and understand their specific special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as well as their individual interests and aspirations. This helps staff to put in place a curriculum that enables pupils to quickly re-engage with education. Building relationships founded on kindness underpins everything that happens here. Staff use these relationships to help pupils learn effective strategies to manage their feelings and emotions. This helps pupils to quickly develop the resilience they need to keep going when they find work tricky. Behaviour is exceptional throughout the school. It is also exceptional during off-site lessons. For example, pupils represent the school incredibly well in the community when visiting the allotment to harvest herbs to use in their cooking. The rich and broad curriculum reignites pupils' existing talents and sparks new interests. Whether learning how to code in computing or visiting local sports facilities to learn fencing, pupils love the curriculum on offer. They work incredibly hard to reach the high expectations all staff have of them. Pupils strive to achieve the qualifications they need for their future.

What the school should improve

• There is not a consistent approach to how staff help pupils apply some of the important foundations of writing they learn during key skills sessions when writing in lessons. This can mean some pupils do not write as well as they might. The school should ensure staff understand how to help pupils apply what they learn during these sessions. This is so pupils are better able to communicate their knowledge and ideas when writing.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)